Malacañang on Saturday welcomed a reported statement by Communist Party of the Philippines founding chairman Jose Maria Sison supporting the Philippines in its maritime row with China.

Presidential spokesman Edwin Lacierda welcomed as well the meeting between House of Representatives officials with Sison and National Democratic Front peace panel chairman Luis Jalandoni in Amsterdam.

“We certainly welcome the statement made by (Sison) on our case against China,” he said on state-run dzRB radio.

Sison had expressed support for the Philippine government’s case in fighting for national sovereignty and maritime rights in the West Philippine Sea.

Manila refers to some parts of the South China Sea as the West Philippine Sea. The Philippines had sent a delegation to The Hague to argue its case before the Arbitral Tribunal in the Permanent Court of Arbitration.

But Sison was quoted in an Inquirer.net report as saying lawyer Harry Roque Jr., who had branded the Philippine delegation’s trip to The Hague as a junket, had a “good patriotic reason to be critical of the size of the delegation.” — Joel Locsin